It is well known in the prior art to use anchors or ties to secure a brick or masonry facade or veneer to a drywall so that the veneer is structurally supported from the drywall to prevent separation therefrom. In particular, the prior art contemplates the use of metal anchors secured to the drywall and tied to the brick or masonry veneer by placement within the mortar or cement between the bricks or masonry.
Generally, the prior art contemplates the use of flexible metal straps which are nailed at one end to the drywall with the opposite end embedded in the mortar or cement between the bricks or masonry. Other prior art brick tie systems include a planar shaped anchor having corrugated surfaces to securely grip the mortar or cement, or having a cutout portion so that the mortar or cement may flow through the anchor to assure that it is securely fixed after the mortar or cement hardens. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,089,253 issued to Gerald and U.S. Pat. No. 2,898,758 issued to Henrickson. These anchors are attached to the drywall support structure by an open faced channel wherein the anchor has a flange or other structure to engage with the channel to permit attachment thereto during construction and to permit location of the anchor within the wet mortar or cement between rows of bricks or masonry.
The prior art also contemplates the use of bent wire anchors to secure a veneer to a drywall structure. In particular, the prior art contemplates wire anchors having various configurations being stapled to the drywall construction, or secured to a flange structure which engages an open faced channel mounted on the drywall construction. Examples of these prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,998 issued to Lucas.
The brick tie devices of the prior art suffer numerous disadvantages, such as limited vertical moveability of the anchor and the support structure, difficulty of installation, and multiplicity of parts. Further, the brick tie devices of the prior art comprise a plurality of separate parts which must be assembled prior to use, making transportation to the job site and use thereof difficult. Consequently, a need exists in the art for an apparatus which comprises coordinated system having a base strap which can be attached to the drywall construction with slideably mounted tie structures or anchors which are infinitely adjustable to the level of the brick or masonry to be secured, and are easily installed on a drywall surface prior to the construction of the brick or masonry veneer.